Apocalyse now?

During this last week of the liturgical year, the readings turn our attention to the end times, the second coming of the Lord.  Thus our selections come from apocalyptic sections of the New Testament – the Book of Revelation and the twenty-first chapter of Luke.  For the early Christians, who suffered persecutions daily, many of whom knew family members or close friends who had even suffered death for their faith in Jesus, these readings were comforting, as they looked to ultimate justification for their suffering in the end days.

For us, perhaps not so much.  Despite living in economic times that don’t seem to be living quite up to snuff, despite fighting wars that never seem to end, despite hundred-year storms that seem to come every year, we live much more comfortably and more securely than the typical first century Christian.  Combined with the fact that we are not steeped in the language and symbols of first century Judaism, and these types of readings can easily lead to confusion and discomfort.

My tendency is to simply compartmentalize them – put them in a box on the shelf, as it were - historical passages that are important in that they show how it was in Jesus’ time, not so important or relevant for me in my times.  But then, I've lost the whole point.  For God’s words in Scripture, are timeless – as relevant now as they were thousands of years ago, as relevant now as they will be thousands of years in the future.

So while it’s not likely that I will be seized and persecuted, called up by kings and governors to give witness to my faith in Jesus, there is not a day that goes by without many opportunities, some subtle, others blatantly obvious, that I am called up – not by kings and governors certainly – but by the simple needs of those around me, to put aside my pride, put aside my selfish wants, put aside my niggling fears – and reach out in love, reach out in charity, reach out in Jesus’ name.

My greatest danger is that, in my generally comfortable and secure life, I often miss these calls.  In my pride, I lose sight of the great things God has done for me, preferring instead to focus on the great things I have done for myself, the comforts I have earned, the security my diligence deserves.

In my effort to maintain my comfort and my security, I pay close attention to my own needs, my own fears, and my own dignity.

I become blind to the needs, the fears and the dignity of others.  I become deaf to Jesus’ call to love unconditionally, to love without end, to love without measure.  I ignore the wisdom Jesus offers, but cling to the secular wisdom of this world – survival of the fittest, might makes right, dog eat dog, look out for number one.

And if I miss Jesus’ call today, then I am certain to miss it at the final bell, whenever that will be.  If I miss the signs today, then I am certain to be lost in the end.

And so today’s readings remind me to be vigilant in hearing Jesus’ call, faithful to heeding Jesus’ wisdom, always depending on Jesus to give me the courage, give me the strength, and give me the will to stand tall, to die to myself, and to live for the other. 

This is what Jesus urged on his contemporaries two thousand years ago, what he is urging for each of us today, what he will continue to urge on future generations thousands of years from now, forever and ever, Amen.